Public bodies spy on 6,000 people a year

Public agencies such as government departments mounted more than 6,000 surveillance operations on staff and the public last year, it emerged today.

It was the first time data on the scale of surveillance by nonpolice organisations had been revealed. Standards in some government departments which use the controversial techniques were condemned as " consistently poor" by watchdogs.

The Office of Surveillance Commissioners said public authorities mounted 6,398 "directed surveillance" operations - which do not involve intrusive methods such as bugging - from April 2003 to March

2004. The OSC report said "quite a large proportion" of local councils had systems in place for surveillance which were "below the required standard".

Twelve government departments and quangos were inspected, including the Immigration Service and the Financial Services Agency, although individual bodies were not named and shamed. In categories of more serious surveillance, police and other law enforcement agencies were granted 2,483 authorisations to interfere with property and 447 to carry out techniques such as bugging homes.